A New Mexico man who contracted bubonic plague while hiking in 2002 and struggled for life in a New York hospital returned yesterday on the anniversary of his release.

John Tull, 54, spent three months in a coma and lost parts of both legs to gangrene as a result of what he called a “dreadful disease.” But after intensive therapy, he’s regained his strength and can walk with a cane.

“I’ve had to learn to do everything all over again,” he said at Beth Israel Hospital.

Tull and his wife contracted the disease at their New Mexico ranch and became sick during a Big Apple visit in November 2002. Lucinda Marker, 48, was not as seriously stricken as her husband.